While most current health care debates are limited to who pays for treating disease, the larger discussion doesn’t even get addressed. Health Care is not just treating disease; it’s about keeping people healthy, about not creating disease, Let’s make the conversation about restoring and maintaining health, about creating a healthy culture, one that honors and supports the health of our people.
Dr. William Mayo, one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic, stated, “The greatest asset of a nation is the health of its people.” Yet, in 2019, the prevailing mentality continues to focus on the search for the magic pill to cure all diseases, many of which are being created by our lifestyle, the standard American diet (SAD), and our environment.
By maintaining health, we can delay and minimize the chronic diseases that accompany the aging process. If this doesn’t sound like a big economic deal, realize that the management of chronic diseases costs over 2 Trillion dollars a year in the U.S. and supports a huge industry that thrives on disease. Any discussion focused on reducing health care costs would wisely consider the value of keeping people healthy versus treating disease.
Beyond the economics of investing in health versus disease, is the “off-label benefits” of health…..including quality of life, improved performance, and peace of mind that are experienced in daily life. These don’t lend themselves to dollar amounts, but are all benefits of health.
For any issue, from mental health, to the opioid crisis, to climate change, consider what path and choices favor health over disease. And as the “Health Care” debates continue, observe how most of it is about the economics of treating disease. Until health becomes a cultural priority, you may be on your own to stay healthy….which means a healthy diet and lifestyle, keeping active, and using natural health care to keep your body working properly for as long as possible.